In this issue:
Congressmen Call for New U.S.-Kazakhstan Friendship Group
Kazakhstan "Can Provide Valuable Leadership" on Nuclear Disarmament, Former Senator Nunn Says
Vatican State Secretary to Discuss World Religious Forum With Nazarbayev
Foreign Students in Kazakhstan Hold First Conference
Congressmen Call for New U.S.-Kazakhstan Friendship Group
Representatives Robert Wexler (D-FLA) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA) are calling for the establishment of new inter-parliamentary friendship group with Kazakhstan, saying this will draw the two countries closer in fighting terrorism and proliferation, the development of democracy in Central Asia and other crucial areas of cooperation.
In an April 15 letter inviting their Kazakhstan counterparts to establish such a group, the legislators said it "can serve as a platform to bring our two nations closer as we work to fight international terrorism, dismantle weapons of mass destruction, strengthen the protection of fundamental human rights, and support the emergence of democracy in Central Asia."
"It is critical that the United States Congress and the Kazakh parliament work closely together on issues of mutual importance," the letter said.
While Kazakhstan has taken "important steps to build democratic institutions and to reach out to the United States in friendship" since its independence in 1991, the relationship between the two nations "has only grown stronger following the horrific events of September 11, when Kazakhstan stood with the people of the United States in condemnation of international terrorism," the congressmen noted.
They said they were "extremely grateful" for Kazakhstan's "commitment to bringing to justice perpetrators of terrorism" and for its "support of American and coalition efforts in Iraq."
In a related letter to members of Congress, Messrs. Wexler and Pitts invited them to join the new group. They said that, "at this critical moment in history, further engagement and cooperation between the United States and Kazakhstan can assist this young nation in becoming a model of democracy and freedom in Central Asia".
The congressmen proposed to hold the group's first meeting in early May. Both are also members of the Congressional Silk Road Caucus that seeks to develop multifaceted ties with nations of the ancient trade route, albeit in the modern settings.
Kazakhstan "Can Provide Valuable Leadership" on Nuclear Disarmament, Former Senator Nunn Says
Kazakhstan and other nations that chose nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and disarmament provide an example and should be given a leadership role in advocating these issues across our vulnerable world today, former Senator Sam Nunn said at a recent Capitol Hill conference.
"Countries like Kazakhstan that have renounced nuclear weapons for all time provide an example and can provide valuable leadership on these issues," Senator Nunn said on April 4 at the conference organized by Nuclear Threat Initiative, or NTI, and the Norwegian Embassy. "One of the things I hope we can do is pay some real attention, and put in a leadership role, countries that have given up their nuclear weapons," he noted.
Senator Nunn highlighted both the successes of the past disarmament under the Nunn-Lugar program of Cooperative Threat Reduction and the challenges ahead.
"Much has been done with the United States, Russia and other nations working together," he said. "We have assisted Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus destroy the nuclear weapons they inherited from the Soviet Union. That was a huge step that was taken in the early 1990's with strong leadership from the U.S., Russia, and most particularly from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus."
Over 800 missiles, over 800 launchers and over 100 bombers have been destroyed over 6,000 nuclear warheads have been deactivated.
The biggest challenge ahead is securing "all nuclear materials" in 40 countries across the globe, not just in Russia and the former Soviet Union, the former senator said.
Vatican State Secretary to Discuss World Religious Forum With Nazarbayev
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, will visit Kazakhstan in May 2003, interfax.com reported after the Conference of Russian Catholic Bishops on April 21 in Moscow.
He is expected to visit the future construction site of a catholic cathedral of the Karaganda diocese and bless the cathedral's keystone. Believers from several parishes of the Karaganda diocese will attend the ceremony. Cardinal Sodano will meet with students and faculty of Karaganda Catholic Theological Seminary.
Cardinal Sodano is to be received by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, where they will discuss the establishment of an inter-religious headquarters for a forum of the world's religious leaders in Kazakhstan.
Nazarbayev first proposed the idea of such a forum during his audience with Pope John Paul II in February. The Pope supported the initiative at that meeting, sources at the Bishops Conference said. Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexy II, who also met Nazarbayev in February, also supports holding a global religious forum in Kazakhstan. The forum is tentatively being planned for later this year.
Foreign Students in Kazakhstan Hold First Conference
Foreign students from more than 45 countries studying medicine, law, and business in Kazakhstan's universities held their first conference in Almaty on April 19 to engage local authorities and establish the forum for discussing issues of interest, khabar.kz reported.
"They are drawn to Kazakhstan primarily by the quality of the education," said Rakhman Alshanov, president of the higher education association of Kazakhstan. "On the other hand, the costs are optimal and considerably cheaper than in the West. And thirdly, there is a good atmosphere in the country."
Currently, there are more than 7,000 students from other countries in Kazakhstan, from Europe, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China and the former Soviet Union. Alshanov said Kazakhstan could accept five to six times that much of foreign students space-wise.
Medicine seems to be the clear front runner among the most attractive professions foreigners seek to acquire in Kazakhstan. Presently, around 800 students attend the National Medical University in Almaty.
"Diplomas of only few countries of the former Soviet Union are accepted in our country," said Mir Omar Zhan of Pakistan, who attends this university. "Kazakhstan is one of such countries."
"While some students simply come for diplomas, there are a lot who work hard and, besides knowledge, acquire the sense of our culture," said Talgat Muminov, president of the university.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact persons: Roman Vassilenko, Aibek Nurbalin
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, 115, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
